Meet the world’s animals.

Photos: 12,584 · Stories: 19,526

• Sandhill Dunnart Sminthopsis psammophila

  

  The sandhill dunnart is a marsupial of arid Australia. Its back is gray to buff, its underside is white, and its tail has stiff black hairs near the tip. It has been recorded in patches of vegetation on sand dunes and sandplains.

• Western Bristlebird Dasyornis longirostris

  

  A secretive small bird of heathland in southwestern Australia. It searches for small foods while moving on the ground.

• Western Rock Elephant Shrew Elephantulus rupestris

  

  This sengi lives in arid parts of southern Africa. It is recorded around rocky ridges and outcrops, mainly in South Africa and Namibia, with a range extending into southwestern Angola and extreme southern Botswana.

• Papuan Sittella Daphoenositta papuensis

  

  The Papuan Sittella occurs on New Guinea, where species accounts record it in forest and semi-open habitats. It feeds on invertebrates.

• Japanese badger Meles anakuma

  

  A badger native to Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and nearby parts of Japan. Thick, long foreclaws help it dig dens in the ground.

• Andean Tinamou Nothoprocta pentlandii

  

  This bird forages in Andean scrub, grassland, and other open habitats. Its upperparts have intricate dark markings and pale streaks, with a fine dark line behind the eye.

• Andean Tuco-tuco Ctenomys opimus

  The Andean tuco-tuco occurs in dry highland areas of the Andes. It has long, soft, pale-yellow fur and uses underground burrows.

• White-fronted Plover Charadrius marginatus

  This plover occurs mainly along African coasts from Somalia to South Africa, also using sandy shores of inland rivers and lakes.

• Ground Cuscus Phalanger gymnotis

  This cuscus has a dark stripe down its back and a tail suited for gripping branches. It searches for fruit at night and can climb.

• Greater Green Leafbird Chloropsis sonnerati

  The male is green, with a black throat patch and blue moustachial stripe that can blend into the leaves. In the canopy it eats fruit, nectar, and insects.

• Nayarit mouse Peromyscus simulus

  The Nayarit mouse is recorded on the coastal lowlands of Nayarit in western Mexico. Specimens come from tropical forest and moist riverine settings.

• Yellow-bellied Hyliota Hyliota flavigaster

  A survey of reserves in the Republic of the Congo recorded the species frequently in wooded grassland, especially at Idzoua Inkou. Males and females differ in upperpart color.

• Asian Garden Dormouse Eliomys melanurus

  The Asian garden dormouse has a dark mask around its eyes, large ears, and a bushy tail. It is nocturnal and solitary, and eats insects and other small animals.

• Pipipi Mohoua novaeseelandiae

  This small bird lives in forest and shrubland on New Zealand's South and Stewart Islands. A chattering flock moving high through the trees is often the first sign of its presence.

• Zulu Golden Mole Amblysomus hottentotus

  Its cylindrical body is covered in shiny fur ranging from reddish brown to dark brown, and its eyes are hidden beneath skin. It digs underground tunnels and eats worms and insects.

• Western Dwarf Hornbill Horizocerus hartlaubi

  A small hornbill of West Africa and lands west of the Congo River, marked by a broad gray-white eyebrow stripe.

• Harbor seal Phoca vitulina

  A rounded head and short front flippers distinguish this seal. It has ears, but no external ear flaps.

• Masked Finfoot Heliopais personatus

  This grey-brown waterbird has a black mask from face to throat in males. A Bangladesh study documented nests in trees beside narrow waterways in the Sundarbans.

• Baird’s Beaked Whale Berardius bairdii

  Baird’s beaked whale inhabits the North Pacific and nearby seas. It mainly uses cold, deep offshore water, but can also occur near steep coastal slopes.

• Rufous-crowned Antpitta Pittasoma rufopileatum

  The Rufous-crowned Antpitta is reported from humid foothill forest on the Pacific slope of Colombia and into northwestern Ecuador. It has a rufous head and a dark band through the eye, and is described hopping on the ground to search for insects.

• Boyacá Spiny-rat Proechimys chrysaeolus

  Field records for this spiny rat are scarce. One reported juvenile from Colombia was found as prey at an elevation of 810 m.

• Round-tailed Manakin Ceratopipra chloromeros

  The male is black with a red head, while the female is green. Both have a rounded tail and forage in the understory of unflooded forest.

• Squirrel Glider Petaurus norfolcensis

  The squirrel glider is a marsupial of eastern Australian forests. It travels between trees using its gliding membrane and is active at night.

• Southern Grey-headed Sparrow Passer diffusus

  This sparrow appears in wooded country, farmland, and gardens. It searches for food on the ground and may flock with other seed-eating birds.